Antagonist binding and induced conformational dynamics of GPCR A2A adenosine receptor

The A_2A adenosine receptor (A_2AAR) is a unique G‐protein coupled receptor (GPCR), because besides agonist, its antagonist could also lead to therapeutic relevance. Based on A_2AAR‐antagonist crystal structure, we have studied the binding mechanism of two distinct antagonists, ZM241385 and KW6002, and dynamic behaviors of A_2AAR induced by antagonist binding. Key residues interacting with both antagonists and residues specifically binding to one of them are identified. ZM241385 specifically bound to S67^2.65, M177^5.38, and N253^6.55, while KW6002 binds to F62^2.60, A81^3.29, and H264^7.29. Moreover, interactions with L167^5.28 are found for both antagonists, which were not reported in agonist binding. The dynamic behaviors of antagonist bound holo‐A_2AARs were found to be different from the apo‐A_2AAR in three typical functional switches, (i) the “ionic lock” was in equilibrium between formation and breakage in apo‐A_2AAR, but stayed broken in holo‐A_2AARs; (ii) the “rotamer toggle switch,” T88^3.36/F242^6.44/W246^6.48, adopted different rotameric conformations in apo‐A_2AAR and holo‐A_2AARs; (iii) apo‐A_2AAR preferred α‐helical intracellular loop (IC)2 and flexible IC3, while holo‐A_2AARs had a flexible IC2 and α‐helical IC3. Our results indicated that antagonist binding induced different conformational rearrangements of these characteristic functional switches in apo‐A_2AAR and holo‐A_2AARs. Proteins 2013; 81:1399–1410. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Novel phage display-derived mycolic acid-specific antibodies with potential for tuberculosis diagnosis

Tuberculosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity due to infectious disease. However, current clinical diagnostic methodologies such as PCR, sputum culture, or smear microscopy are not ideal. Antibody-based assays are a suitable alternative but require specific antibodies against a suitable biomarker. Mycolic acid, which has been found in patient sputum samples and comprises a large portion of the mycobacterial cell wall, is an ideal target. However, generating anti-lipid antibodies using traditional hybridoma methodologies is challenging and has limited the exploitation of this lipid as a diagnostic marker. We describe here the isolation and characterization of four anti-mycolic acid antibodies from a nonimmune antibody phage display library that can detect mycolic acids down to a limit of 4.5ng. All antibodies were specific for the methoxy subclass of mycolic acid with weak binding for α mycolic acid and did not show any binding to closely related lipids or other Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) derived lipids. We also determined the clinical utility of these antibodies based on their limit of detection for mycobacteria colony forming units (CFU). In combination with an optimized alkaline hydrolysis method for rapid lipid extraction, these antibodies can detect 10⁵ CFU of Mycobacterium bovis BCG, a close relative of Mtb and therefore represent a novel approach for the development of diagnostic assays for lipid biomarkers.     

CD40 signal expression in gastric cancer tissue and its correlation with prognosis of gastric cancer patients

CD40 signaling plays a critical role in the survival rate of gastric cancer patients. Tumour samples were collected from 73 patients with who were diagnosed as gastric cancer in general surgery department in the 1st affiliated hospital of Suzhou University between September 2002 and July 2003. All patients had not received radiotherapy and chemotherapy before operation. These patients include 46 male and 27 female. Here we show that CD40 is constitutively expressed in the human gastric carcinoma tissues, and CD40 protein and mRNA positive expression in gastric cancer tissues closely correlated with lymph node metastasis and tumour TNM stage. CD40 positive expression in gastric cancer patients with lymph node metastasis was markedly higher than that in gastric cancer patients without lymph node metastasis. CD40 positive expression in stage III-IV gastric cancer patients was markedly higher than that in stage I-II gastric cancer patients. Moreover, CD40 expression closely correlated with prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Therefore, CD40 was taken as grouping variable, and lymph node metastasis and clinical staging were taken as stratification variables, respectively, further analysis showed that prognosis in gastric cancer patients with lymph node metastasis and CD40 positive expression was markedly worse than that in gastric cancer patients without lymph node metastasis and CD40 negative expression (P = 0.0076). These results suggest that CD40 signaling plays a critical role in the survival of gastric cancer patients.     

Bt毒素蛋白基因的PCR鉴定及定位

利用合成的cryI、cryIII和cryV基因专一性引物 ,检测了从土壤中分离到的 56株苏云金芽孢杆菌菌株所含的晶体毒素蛋白基因。含有cryI基因的有 7株 ,含有cryIII基因的有 2株 ,同时含有cryI和cryV基因的有 2 1株。斑点杂交及Southern杂交分析表明 ,cryV基因定位于 1 50MD的大质粒上。     

A Unidirectional Cell Switching Gate by Engineering Grating Length and Bending Angle

On a microgrooved substrate, cells migrate along the pattern, and at random positions, reverse their directions. Here, we demonstrate that these reversals can be controlled by introducing discontinuities to the pattern. On “V-shaped grating patterns”, mouse osteogenic progenitor MC3T3-E1 cells reversed predominately at the bends and the ends. The patterns were engineered in a way that the combined effects of angle- and length-dependence could be examined in addition to their individual effects. Results show that when the bend was placed closer to one end, migration behaviour of cells depends on their direction of approach. At an obtuse bend (135°), more cells reversed when approaching from the long segment than from the short segment. But at an acute bend (45°), this relationship was reversed. Based on this anisotropic behaviour, the designed patterns effectively allowed cells to move in one direction but blocked migrations in the opposing direction. This study demonstrates that by the strategic placement of bends and ends on grating patterns, we can engineer effective unidirectional switching gates that can control the movement of adherent cells. The knowledge developed in this study could be utilised in future cell sorting or filtering platforms without the need for chemotaxis or microfluidic control.     

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides s.l. associated with Theobroma cacao and other plants in Panama: multilocus phylogenies distinguish host-associated pathogens from asymptomatic endophytes

Colletotrichum interacts with numerous plant species overtly as symptomatic pathogens and cryptically as asymptomatic endophytes. It is not known whether these contrasting ecological modes are optional strategies expressed by individual Colletotrichum species or whether a species' ecology is explicitly pathogenic or endophytic. We explored this question by inferring relationships among 77 C. gloeosporioides s.l. strains isolated from asymptomatic leaves and from anthracnose lesions on leaves and fruits of Theobroma cacao (cacao) and other plants from Panamá. ITS and 5'-tef1 were used to assess diversity and to delineate operational taxonomic units for multilocus phylogenetic analysis. The ITS and 5'-tef1 screens concordantly resolved four strongly supported lineages, clades A-D: Clade A includes the ex type of C. gloeosporioides, clade B includes the ex type ITS sequence of C. boninense, and clades C and D are unidentified. The ITS yielded limited resolution and support within all clades, in particular the C. gloeosporioides clade (A), the focal lineage dealt with in this study. In contrast the 5'-tef1 screen differentiated nine distinctive haplotype subgroups within the C. gloeosporioides clade that were concordant with phylogenetic terminals resolved in a five-locus nuclear phylogeny. Among these were two phylogenetic species associated with symptomatic infections specific to either cacao or mango and five phylogenetic species isolated principally as asymptomatic infections from cacao and other plant hosts. We formally describe two new species, C. tropicale and C. ignotum, that are frequent asymptomatic associates of cacao and other Neotropical plant species, and epitypify C. theobromicola, which is associated with foliar and fruit anthracnose lesions of cacao. Asymptomatic Colletotrichum strains isolated from cacao plants grown in China included six distinct C. gloeosporioides clade taxa, only one of which is known to occur in the Neotropics.     

Intermedin/adrenomedullin 2及其受体在慢性低氧性肺动脉高压大鼠右心室的表达变化

本研究探讨了新发现的小分子生物活性肽intermedin／adrenomedullin 2（IMD／ADM2）及其受体在慢性低氧性肺动脉高压大鼠右心室中的变化和可能作用。用放射免疫分析法测定正常对照组和常压低氧4周组Sprague-Dawley大鼠血浆、右心室匀浆IMD／ADM2和肾上腺髓质素（adrenomednllin,ADM）蛋白水平;逆转录-多聚酶链反应法测定右心室IMD／ADM2、ADM及受体：降钙素受体样受体（calcitonin receptor-like receptor,CRLR）、受体活性修饰蛋白1,2,3（receptor activity modifying protein 1,2,3,RAMP1,RAMP2,RAMP3）mRNA表达。结果显示：低氧组平均肺动脉压、右心室与左心室加室间隔重量比[RV／（LV＋S）]显著高于对照组（均P〈0．01）;低氧组血浆和右心室组织匀浆ADM水平比对照组分别高1．26倍和1．68倍（P〈0．01）,IMD／ADM2水平则较对照组分别高0．90倍和1．19倍（P〈0．01）;与对照组相比,低氧组右心室IMD／ADM2、ADM mRNA表达均上调（P〈0．01）,RAMP2 mRNA表达增强（P〈0．05）,而两组间CRLR、RAMP1、RAMP3 mRNA的表达水平无显著性差异。结果表明,慢性低氧性肺动脉高压大鼠IMD／ADM2表达水平升高。     

N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase substrates prepared from glycoproteins by hydrazinolysis of the asparagine-N-acetylglucosamine linkage. Purification and structural determination of oligosaccharides with mannose andN-acetylglucosamine at the non-reducing termini

Sixteen asparagine-linked oligosaccharides ranging in size from (Man)₂(GlcNAc)₂ (Fuc)₁ to (GlcNAc)₆(Man)₃(GlcNAc)₂ were obtained from human ₁-acid glycoprotein and fibrinogen, hen ovomucoid and ovalbumin, and bovine fetuin, fibrin and thyroglobulin by hydrazinolysis, mild acid hydrolysis and glycosidase treatment. The oligosaccharides hadN-acetylglucosamine at the reducing termini and mannose andN-acetylglucosamine residues at the non-reducing termini and were prepared for use asN-acetylglucosaminyltransferase substrates. Purification of the oligosaccharides involved gel filtration and high performance liquid chromatography on reverse phase and amine-bonded silica columns. Structures were determined by 360 MHz and 500 MHz proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry and methylation analysis. Several of these oligosaccharides have not previously been well characterized.Abbreviations bis bisecting GlcNAc - DMSO dimethylsulfoxide - FAB fast atom bombardment - Fuc l-fucose - Gal d-galactose - GLC gas-liquid chromatography - GlcNAc or Gn N-acetyl-d-glucosamine - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - Man or M d-mannose - MES 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate - MS mass spectrometry - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - PIPES piperazine-N,N-bis(2-ethane sulfonic acid) the nomenclature of the oligosaccharides is shown in Table 1.     

移植骨髓间充质干细胞治疗大鼠糖尿病的研究

目的 通过移植骨髓间充质干细胞（mesenchymal stem cell,MSC）的方法试治疗大鼠糖尿病。方法 贴壁生长的MSC与大鼠胰腺的细胞共培养以检测其向胰岛细胞分化的潜能。并将体外培养扩增的MSC移植入糖尿病大鼠体内,观测其能否改善糖尿病病情及其在大鼠体内微环境中的分化情况。结果 共培养法可使MSC分化为胰岛样细胞。对大鼠的MSC移植能明显缓解糖尿病病情。结论 MSC移植的方法对大鼠糖尿病有一定的治疗作用。